An air traffic controller at Reagan International went to sleep on the job. There was only one controller in the tower. Two planes landed on their own.
Quote:
WASHINGTON — The air traffic control supervisor who admitted falling asleep while on duty at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., early Wednesday has been suspended from operational duties, and aviation and safety experts are looking at how such an incident could happen.
Two commercial jets were unable to contact the control tower and had to land without gaining clearance.
The controller and other Federal Aviation Administration officials at Reagan National were interviewed by the National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday. The controller — a 20-year-veteran, 17 of those years at Reagan — had been working his fourth consecutive overnight shift (10 p.m. to 6 a.m.)
“What’s really shocking about this is that they had only one person in that tower," aviation lawyer and safety expert Mike Pangia told NBC News. “It’s a human thing to be indisposed for one reason or another."
Not this week, I drove to Corpus on Wed and drove back last night.. Next week I'm flying to Seattle and to Philly.. I understand needing sleep, I just try doing that on planes and not behind the wheel.
Location: On an Island in the west coast of New England
Posts: 13,134
No big deal.....the pilots sleep on the job all the time. Can you imagine how boring it is to do a long flight like to Europe or across the country. Auto pilot is a wonderful thing.
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Too busy with fishing to spend much time here.
No big deal.....the pilots sleep on the job all the time. Can you imagine how boring it is to do a long flight like to Europe or across the country. Auto pilot is a wonderful thing.
Air Traffic Controller Asleep On Job
